


Adora and The Best Friend Squad: A Soft Epilogue

by TheDarkStrategist



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:40:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24264493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkStrategist/pseuds/TheDarkStrategist
Summary: “How about one more Best Friend Squad road trip?” A series of chapters exploring the high and lows of the Best Friend Squads mission to restore magic to the universe.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 183





	1. Chapter 1

_“What do you say to one more Best Friend Squad road trip?”_

It was one thing to say it, but to actually do it, to go out there and start to bring magic back into the universe...it was an enormous undertaking, one that’s enormity was finally starting to hit Adora as she sat in her tent, going over the star charts and the projected solar system map Entrapta had developed after she had downloaded navigation information off of Darla. 

Adora could feel a sudden throb at her temples, the all too familiar painful tug of a stress headache that had become so common these last few months while planning for the Rebellion. Adora pushed the charts and maps away for a moment, letting her forehead rest against the cold wooden table, trying to let her frantic mind rest a bit before she continued planning.

There was a muted _swoosh_ as Adora’s tent flaps parted slightly. Adora didn’t even have the energy to lift her head and see who it was. She could only guess it was King Micah or Castaspella, who had been pestering her for her opinions on party favors and catering options for the Best Friend Squad’s farewell feast. 

“Adora?” 

Adora smiled, her stress starting to melt away as she heard the familiar sound of Catra’s voice. Before she could lift her head to look, Catra made her way over and gently put a hand on Adora’s shoulder. She shook her slightly, softly calling out Adora’s name, and it dawned on her that Catra must have thought she was asleep. 

“Adoraaaa...of course you’ve already stressed yourself into exhaustion over this already,” Catra muttered, shuffling through the maps on the desk with her free hand. “This was supposed to be a pleasure trip as well as a mission, silly…” 

Catra squeezed Adora’s shoulder and stepped closer to her, chest against her back, her nose nuzzling against Adora’s cheek. Adora could hear Catra’s soft, satisfied purr and it warmed her heart like nothing else. It had been so long since she’d heard the sound and now that it was directed at her...it made her heart melt honestly. 

Eventually Catra’s nuzzling began to tickle and Adora could no longer keep up the charade of sleep. She giggled at the feeling and felt Catra stiffen up in surprise. Catra stumbled backwards as Adora started to sit up and Adora couldn’t help but smile as she noticed the blush creeping onto Catra’s cheeks. 

“Were...were you awake the whole time?”

Adora tried to act blasé, like she had no clue what Catra was talking about but she couldn’t keep the pleased smirk off her face. “Pfff…me, awake? _Nooo,_ of course not…”

Catra buried her face in her hands, embarrassed, and then immediately stormed over to Adora and put her in a headlock, giving her a vicious noogie. “ _Uggggh,_ you little…”

Adora laughed heartily as Catra descended upon her and Catra couldn’t help but laugh as well, Adora’s pure joy infectious. Eventually she released the blonde, giving her hair one last ruffle before plopping down on a nearby cot. She eyed Adora fondly, a small grin on her face. “Y’know, you could have let me know you were awake.”

Adora smiled back, attempting to fix her mussed up ponytail before eventually giving up, deciding to simply take her hair tie out. “Mmm, I could’ve...but you were being so cute. I couldn’t interrupt that,” she said with a wink.

Catra crossed her arms, looking huffily to the side, trying to look aloof, but Adora could see the pleased tug at Catra’s lips. “I am _not_ cute.”

Adora stood up and slowly made her way to the cot, her arm sneaking around Catra’s waist in a way that felt so natural that felt like that’s where it was meant to be. “I’m gonna have to disagree with you there.”

Catra’s facade of aloofness melted away at Adora’s touch, her arms uncrossing and her huffy expression shifting into one of extreme affection. Catra was still finding it a bit difficult to let herself be so vulnerable; it had been so long since she felt she could. Ever since she and Adora had reconciled, ever since they’d laid their feelings bare in the Heart of Etheria, it was slowly becoming easier. Catra leaned into Adora and let her own arm slide around Adora’s waist.

“Mmm fine,” Catra said. She eyed the star charts on the desk with mild curiosity then shifted her gaze to Adora. “You’re taking the planning for this ‘road trip’ very seriously.”

Adora sighed. “I know...I know you guys wanted me to relax after everything that’s happened, but I wanted to find an optimal path through the solar system…”

Catra raised an eyebrow. “ _Optimal?_ Adora, please tell me you also remember this is also supposed to be a trip to unwind.”

Adora waved her free arm emphatically, as if trying to somehow make her point more clear with the movement. “I know! And I’m trying to remember that but I mean I don’t want us to be up there too long! I mean Glimmer must want to be with her dad—and, and Bow probably wants to visit with his dads and there’s the matter of the rebuilding efforts of Bright Moon and—mff!”

Adora had been cut off mid freak out by Catra’s lips on hers, so unexpected but also so welcome that it only took a moment for Adora’s stress to seep out of her, her thoughts only on Catra. She leaned into the kiss, moving her free hand to Catra’s face, cupping it, her thumb running across Catra’s cheek. Catra let her free hand roam through Adora’s hair as they leaned deeper into each other. After a moment, they pulled away, both slightly out of breath. Adora rested her forehead against Catra’s, and she could hear Catra’s purring kicking up again, the sound so calming Adora couldn’t help but relax against her. 

“That was...really nice,” Adora said softly, her thumb still caressing Catra’s cheek.

Catra’s purr intensified at the caress and she nuzzled her nose against Adora’s. “Mm definitely…”

This was only their second kiss, the first being the one they’d shared in the Heart of Etheria. It wasn’t as intense, of course; there was no threat of possible demise clipping at their heels, a fear of this being the only chance they had to show their love fully and completely . It was a calm, reassuring sort of kiss, a casual indulgence of affection. There was a warmth in both of their chests at the realization that this would just become a causal part of their routine, affection easily given and received. 

“Try not to worry so much about all this, ok?” Catra asked, her eyes tinged with concern.

Adora nodded and wrapped Catra in a tight embrace as she let the rest of her stress fade away. “Okay, okay…”

They were content to sit that way for a while, happily basking in each other’s presence. It would probably have gone on indefinitely if not for the sudden excited crash of Glimmer, Bow, and Melog tumbling through the tent flaps. Catra and Adora clung to each other in surprise, looking startledly at the trio that had barged in.

“Guess what today is!” Glimmer shouted, clapping her hands together excitedly.

“It’s the Best Friend Squad Banquet!!!” Bow answered loudly, his voice cracking part way through the sentence. 

Melog let out a drawn out _meorrrw_ , as if also celebrating this momentous occasion. She then sauntered forward and rubbed affectionately against Catra’s legs and then Adora’s.

The excited pair suddenly noticed the tangled limbs of Catra and Adora and they both shared a look before giving the two a knowing look. 

“We, uh, interrupt something, guys?” Glimmer asked, her knowing look growing more pronounced.

Adora and Catra noticed their tight embrace with one another and separated so fast that they both went tumbling off the cot, much to the amusement of Glimmer and Bow.

Adora and Catra both knew it was silly to be embarrassed about being caught in such an affection moment. Bow and Glimmer had seen them embrace each other after the defeat of Horde Prime. They knew that something had shifted, that Catra and Adora were closer than before, and as far as they could tell the pair approved. Still, the moment they’d shared felt like it was for them only, a respite from everything around them. 

“You two couldn’t have knocked or something?” Catra complained, her expression cross as Melog started to gently lick her cheek.

Bow raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. “Knock on a tent flap?”

Adora stood up and offered Catra her hand, which she readily took, letting Adora help pull her to her feet. They stayed hand in hand as Glimmer and Bow took a seat at Adora’s desk. “You two seem excited. I take it everyone is almost done with the party preparations?”

Glimmer nodded, her face in her hands, a slightly irritable expression on her face. “I wish they’d let us help. We’ve all done so much for the Rebellion. Everyone deserves the party.” She let out a huff and glared at the tent flaps. “Also I cannot count the amount of times Aunt Casta and my dad have shooed me away from the Bright Moon banquet hall today. They really want it to be a surprise.”

Bow scooted closer to Glimmer resting a hand on top of hers. “We can throw them all an equally awesome party when we come back.”

Glimmer smiled and moved her hand so she could clasp Bow’s hand in hers. “That would be nice…”

Catra could feel Adora’s hand tense up in hers and she knew what Adora was going to ask. She squeezed back, trying to let Adora know she had her support.

“Guys, if you want to put this trip off, I completely understand. I know you both probably want to spend time with your families and—“

Glimmer cut Adora off with a raised hand. “Adora, we wouldn’t have agreed if we didn’t want to go.”

“But your dad—“

“Will still be here when I come back,” Glimmer assured her. “I’ve missed him a lot. I won’t pretend otherwise. But I want to see this through with you guys. Besides, Entrapta is working on the communications network, right? She said soon she and Hordak should have the connection stable enough that contacting Darla while we’re in space shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.”

“Bow?” Adora asked.

“My dads understand what I’m doing is important. Like Glimmer said, they’ll be here when we get back.”

Adora let out a relived sigh and Catra gave her a look of ‘ _See? Told you’._ Adora nudged her with her elbow and Catra did the same in retaliation. It must have looked funny, because Bow and Glimmer started to chuckle. 

Catra put a hand on one hip and raised any eyebrow. “So are you guys just chilling in Adora’s tent til the party starts?”

Glimmer shot out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Catra’s shoulders, her look becoming somewhat sinister, setting Catra nerves on edge, causing the fur on her tail to puff up. “Nope! You and I are going to have make over time!”

Catra started to circle around Adora, trying to run from Glimmer’s clutches. “Nope nope nope! Adora, help me, she gonna torture me!”

Adora couldn’t help but be dragged back to that vision of the future she’d dreamed of. She thought maybe it would be far off in the future, or that maybe she wouldn’t get to experience such a future, but here it was, happening right now. She couldn’t hold back the emotion she felt, and felt happy tears sting her eyes. She quickly wiped at them with her sleeve, trying to make sure none of them noticed her sudden rush of emotion. 

Catra hid behind Adora, sticking her tongue out at Glimmer, her hands gripping the back of Adora’s jacket. Glimmer stood there, hands on hips, amused but exasperated. “Catra, c’mon! You’re being silly.”

Adora looked over her shoulder at Catra’s silly expression and giggled, her gaze softening. “C’mon, Catra, it wont be that bad, I’m sure.”

Catra shook her head emphatically and tightened her grip in Adora’s jacket. 

“I’m sure Glimmer just wants to bond, Catra. Give her one chance and if it’s torture I promise you never have to do a make over with her again,” Adora asked with puppy dog eyes.

Catra looked as if she was going to argue then sighed in defeat. “Fiiiine.” She eyed Glimmer warily. “I’m watching you, Sparkles.”

Glimmer shook her head, muttered about how dramatic Catra was, and dragged her hastily out of the tent. Adora only had time to wave good bye in the time it took Glimmer to rush out of the tent and teleport Catra and her somewhere else.

Adora and Bow both looked fondly as their partners left the tent and they shared a mutual look of _aren’t they great_ before standing up and giving each other an understanding look. 

“Time to get ready.”

—

“Adora!!” Bow called. “Glimmer and Catra are here! We gotta go!”

“I’m coming!”

Adora fiddled with her hair one last time, deciding that she’d keep it down for the night. She was wearing a white dress with gold accents that Castaspella had found in a wardrobe that Glimmer had stuffed all the clothes that were either too big for her or too small. It was sleeveless and trailed down to just below her knees. She had a pair of matching gold sandals and gold bands on her wrists. She honestly felt overdressed for such an intimate banquet but Mermista and Seahawk had insisted that it be a formal dress party. 

Once Adora was satisfied with how she looked, she joined Bow and the rest of her friends in the hall. She opened her mouth to say that they should head to dining hall but the words died in her throat when she saw Catra. 

Catra was decked out in a light red button up, the first few buttons undone, with a loose black tie around her neck. She had what looked like a white shawl clipped to one shoulder, an addition that had to be from Glimmer, since Catra had never willing gone for a white piece of clothing in her life. She looked stunning, had Adora mesmerized. They so rarely ever got to see each other dressed up and when they did Catra always seemed to look amazing.

Catra seemed similarly mesmerized, eyes roving over Adora, drinking in the sight. Adora couldn’t help but have a blush creep into her cheeks. It was so new having Catra look at her this way. It made her feel warm and tingly in a way she hadn’t ever experienced until now. 

“You, uh, you look good,” Catra said while rubbing at her neck, her face tinged with red. 

Adora smiled and walked over to Catra, linking their arms and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “So do you…”

Catra smiled and leaned into Adora, head resting slightly on her shoulder. Bow and Glimmer gave the two approving looks and linked arms with one another as well. 

Glimmer and Bow were simply in fancier version of their outfits from the Princess Prom, which seemed like ages ago now. Bow in a black tailcoat and Glimmer with a thin glittery shawl over her old dress. 

The pairs smiled at each other before heading excitedly down the hall, whispering about what the feast hall must look like and what food everyone might have made. Once they arrived at the feast hall, the guards at the doors opened the way for them, hastily giving their gratitude to them all for what they had done before shutting the door behind them. 

The hall was filled with chatter and music played by a string quartet in the back of the room. The hall was decked out in Rebellion banners and floating balls of light that Castaspella must’ve conjured. Everyone was dressed to the nines and the mood in the air was electric, alive and happy in a way it hadn’t been in along time. Micah noticed the four of them at the doors and he grabbed a glass and clinked the side of it with a spoon. “Our guests of honor have arrived!”

Everyone in the room broke out into a series of hoots and hollers, accompanied by excited clapping. Micah smiled at his daughter and her friends and waved for them to take a seat. 

Adora was seated at the head of the table to her surprise. She had figured that as queen, Glimmer would take her place there. Adora asked if they should trade places and she elbowed Adora in the side, saying none of them would be here if it weren’t for her, and insisted that Adora take the seat. Catra pulled the seat back for Adora and she whispered her thanks as she sat. Catra took the seat next to Adora, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Glimmer sat on Adora’s other side and Bow settled next to Glimmer.

Micah clinked his glass again as everyone sat, wanting to quiet the room. “As we all know, everyone in this room worked hard to make this rebellion the success that it was. I’m so proud of all of you. We have all fought and lost and bled for this cause and it has all been worth it. Tonight though, we celebrate a group of rebels that went above and beyond the call of duty.” Micah raised his glass, pride shining in his eyes. “To my daughter Glimmer, to Bow, and to Adora! Without these three we would all still be under the tyranny of Horde Prime!”

The whole roomed exploded into a raucous wave of cheers and intense clapping. Glimmer and Bow looked ready to cry happy tears and Adora felt tears stinging at the edge of her eyes. Catra looked over proudly at the three, but especially Adora, a swarm of emotions behind her eyes.

It was then that Adora noticed that Catra hadn’t been included in the speech. Adora almost slapped her hand against her forehead in anger at herself. Of course they hadn’t, they had no clue what had happened at the Heart. All they knew is that the failsafe had worked. 

Adora stood, glass in hand and clinked her glass as Micah had, much to the surprise of everyone at the party, including her three best friends. 

“I think I can speak for Bow and Glimmer and say that we are humbled by all the love you have all shown us tonight,” Adora said, her voice confident and clear. “But there is one other here that deserves your praise!”

Everyone muttered in hushed tones, confusion and curiosity clear in the crowd.

“When I went into the Heart, I didn’t do so alone.” Adora smiled down at Catra and clasped her hand tight as she began her speech. Catra suddenly realized what was happening and several emotions flashed across her face. Surprise, happiness, love.

“Catra came with me. I was injured and in danger and she came to save me. She took me to the Heart. She stayed by my side.” She smiled at Catra lovingly. “There was a moment I was lost in despair and Catra pulled me out of it. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to activate the failsafe.”

The whispers around the banquet hall reached a fever pitch, no longer whispers but loud and wild speculation. Adora clinked her glass again and eventually the noise died down. 

“So, please, give your applause to Catra too! I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for her!”

It was a slow, confused sort of applause at first. Everyone had their own thoughts and opinions on Catra and it had taken a lot of them some time to accept that she had truly decided to change and fight for them. It picked up fast though and soon people were excitedly clapping and chanting Catra’s name.

Catra was overwhelmed. By the applause to a degree but mostly by Adora’s speech. She knew that Adora loved her; they had both made that clear in the Heart. But to do this, to ask for all these people to acknowledge that Catra had played a part in all of this, it touched her deeply. 

To both Adora and Catra’s surprise, Glimmer shot up, holding her glass high. “Come on, louder, people! If it weren’t for Catra I never would have escaped Horde Prime’s ship!”

The applause became so loud that it was hard to think and Adora, Glimmer, and Bow looked over at Catra to see thick tears in her eyes, starting to drip down her face. She wiped hurriedly at them with her sleeves and, to the surprise of everyone, bolted out of the banquet hall.

“Catra!” Adora cried out as the door swung open.

Glimmer and Bow looked at each other concernedly and then at Adora. “Was it something we said? Is she ok?”

Adora shook her head and she hastily set her glass down. “I don’t know. I’ll be right back.”

Adora crashed through the doors, much to the surprise of the guards and she sprinted down the hall as fast as she could in dress sandals, desperately crying out for Catra.

“Catra! _Catra_! What’s wrong? Please wait!”

After Adora tripped over her sandals for the umpteenth time, she angrily kicked them off, rushing down the halls of Bright Moon bare foot.

Eventually Adora found Catra leaning on a balcony, the wind whipping her short hair around her face. She was full on crying now, tears falling down her face in a clear stream. Adora walked on to the balcony and Catra turned to throw herself into Adora’s arms. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Adora asked worriedly, one hand running through Catra’s wind tousled hair. “You looked so happy at the start of that speech...did we say something wrong?” 

“No,” Catra sniffled, pulling back just enough so that Adora could see her face. “I’m happy. I really am.”

Adora frowned and cupped Catra’s face, pulling it closer to her own. “You don’t look happy…”

Catra took a few deep breathes and let Adora wipe away her tears. She sighed and then looked Adora in the eyes, her gaze full of emotion. “I am...I’m just...I’m overwhelmed. Praise, it...it’s never been easily given to me. T-to have an entire room cheer my name, to be _proud_ of me? I never thought that would happen. Ever.”

“And you ran out here because you didn’t want everyone to see you crying,” Adora said softly, realization dawning on her.

“I know I’m trying to be more vulnerable but crying in front of the entire Rebellion is not a step I’m ready for,” Catra tentatively joked.

Adora chuckled softly and held Catra close to her. “You know I meant every word I said, right? I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t stayed with me…”

Catra didn’t know how to respond, not with words anyway. Catra cupped Adora’s face in her hands and kissed her hard on the lips, happiness, gratitude, and love on the edge of her lips. Adora held Catra tight around the waist returning the kiss with equal fervor. The kiss was intense, full of promises, reassurances, words they wanted to say. It felt like it lasted forever, but it couldn’t have last longer than a minute. 

There were a million things they both wanted to say, to put words to this new relationship they shared. One day they would. They would lay out every feeling, every thought. But tonight wasn’t it. Tonight there was a simple set of words that conveyed everything they felt and they were the only words they truly needed.

“I love you, Adora.”

“I love you too, Catra.”

No more needed to be said. They simply held each other in a soft embrace, foreheads resting against one another, surrounded by starlight and the trees and flowers their love helped create.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. A New Start

“I didn’t expect so many people to see us off.”

Catra knew that Adora, Bow, and Glimmer were popular people. Take a short stroll through any Rebellion outpost and they’d be descended upon by grateful citizens, awestruck rebels, or any of their princess friends. She knew this and yet couldn’t help but be surprised and somewhat intimidated by the absolute swarm of people sitting outside of their spaceship waiting to give their farewells. 

Glimmer startled her by resting her elbow on Catra’s shoulder, a slightly comical sight because Glimmer had to lean up to do it. “Don’t like crowds?”

Catra immediately felt defensive, ready to bark back at Glimmer if she so much as giggled at Catra’s discomfort. Catra turned her head, her brow knit with anger but it went as soon as it came when she noticed the look on Glimmer’s face. It was an expression of concern but also...understanding? There was pain and empathy behind her eyes and she moved her arm until it was comfortingly around Catra’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I get it. The first time I had to speak at a war meeting…and the first time I had to stand in front of my people as their queen…there were so many people, their eyes on me. It can be intimidating, I know.” Glimmer gave Catra a reassuring grin, and squeezed her shoulder as a show of support. “Just remember, all of these people are here to wish us good luck. Nothing scary about that.”

Catra rubbed at her arm, sheepish about having been caught in a moment of vulnerability. She couldn’t look Glimmer in the eye, embarrassed not only over being caught but also by how much she appreciated Glimmer’s reassurance. She cleared her throat awkwardly before mumbling, “Thanks Sparkles.”

Glimmer smiled and wrapped Catra in a tight hug, which Catra struggled against momentarily before relaxing in her new friend’s arms. She was really going to have to get used to how affectionate the people of the Rebellion were, especially her new friends. 

Catra couldn’t help but catch Adora’s gaze on her, a happy and excited look that was so intense that Catra had to bury her face in Glimmer's arm to escape it. Adora had been absolutely thrilled that Catra was integrating herself so well into the Best Friend Squad, and every time Glimmer and Bow interacted with her and Catra reacted positively or at the very least didn’t shove them away from her, Adora beamed with pride and fondness at her.

Adora’s fond gaze was disturbed by Swiftwind galloping towards her, nuzzling her cheek with his snout. Adora chuckled and wrapped her arms around her trusty steed, pulling him into an emotional hug.

“I’m sorry I have to go again so soon, Swiftie,” she muttered against him. “I know I just got back but—“

Swiftwind pulled his head back a bit and shook his head. “Hey, hey, no worries! Important She Ra stuff, I understand! I’ll hold down the home front for you!” he said with a wink. He leaned forward a bit, touching his horn to the top of Adora’s head, the horn glowing slightly with magical energy. “Besides, you can always hit me up. We’ve got a special connection. We don’t need all that weird techy stuff Entrapta’s got going on.”

Adora smiled and hugged her steed close one more time, both of them giving each other their heartfelt farewells. 

Glimmer and Bow had both had their tearful farewells with their parents earlier this morning, so now Micah and Bow’s dads were just standing proudly at the front of the crowd, smiling with love over at their children. 

The only person who hadn’t had their heartfelt farewell yet was Catra and that’s because, well...she was nervous.

Adora put her hands on her hips, her face full of determination and energy. “Well, you guys ready?”

Catra held up a hand and took a step toward the crowd, sounding distant and preoccupied. “Wait...there’s something I need to do first.”

Adora looked over at Catra, her eyes flashing with concern. “Everything ok?”

Catra looked over her shoulder and nodded, a small determined smile on her lips. “Yeah. Just need to do one thing first.”

Adora nodded and gave Catra a supportive look as she watched her partner approach the crowd. 

It wasn't hard to find who Catra was looking for. Scorpia had never exactly blended into a crowd, seeing as she was usually one of the tallest people in it. She was standing near Micah, Perfuma on her arm, the two giggling and whispering to each other. 

“Hey, Scorpia...can I talk to you for a minute?” Catra asked, desperately trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

Perfuma looked somewhat surprised but Scorpia looked calm, like she’d expected Catra to come to her. Scorpia placed a pincer over Perfuma’s hand and gave her a soft smile.

“Give us a minute, flower petal?” Scorpia asked politely. 

Perfuma smiled and whispered ‘of course’, giving Scorpia’s pincer a gentle squeeze before wandering off through the crowd to chill with Mermista until the conversation was over.

Catra raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest, a teasing smirk on her lips. “Flower petal, huh?”

Scorpia blushed scarlet and rubbed at the back of her head with a pincer. “I, uh, well you see—the thing is—“

Catra chuckled for a moment before giving Scorpia an understanding look. “I’m teasing, Scorpia. I’m...I’m happy for you. You deserve someone who makes you happy.”

Scorpia looked touched and went to give her thanks but Catra held up a hand, cutting her off. 

“I know we hugged it out and everything but I...there are a lot of things I need to say to you. A lot of things you deserve to hear.” Catra looked down at the ground, steeling herself before meeting Scorpia’s eyes again. “You were a good friend to me, even when I didn’t deserve one. I lashed out at you a lot and pushed you away because I was scared of getting hurt by caring about someone again. Even when I was impossible to be around, you still tried to be there for me.” Catra sheepishly rubbed at her arm and her nerves started to show a bit on her face. “And maybe this is a weird thing to thank you for but…” 

Catra took a moment to breathe before continuing. “Thank you for leaving me. If you’d hadn’t left, I don’t think I would have realized how far gone I was. It’s still hard, and I’m sure I’ll be working at it for a while, but I’m finally starting to like who I’m turning into.” Catra smiled, a genuine, thankful one, and she rushed forward to pull Scorpia into a grateful hug. “I’m so sorry for all the terrible things I said to you. Thank you, Scorpia. For everything.”

Scorpia couldn’t hold back her tears and she wrapped Catra in a tight hug, crying and sniffling into Catra’s hair. They both held each other close, teary-eyed and emotional. Eventually Scorpia’s tears dissipated and she smiled against the top of Catra’s head. “No problem, wild cat.”

They hugged a little while longer before telling each other goodbye, both happy, if a bit emotionally raw from being so open with one another. Catra made her way back to the rest of the Best Friend Squad and she blushed as she saw Adora beaming with pride in her direction. 

“Now we can go.”

They all waved the crowd goodbye, and there was ecstatic cheering as they went up the entrance ramp, everyone happy and supportive. It was an emotional, picturesque farewell…

...Or at least it would have been if Entrapta hadn’t barreled up the entrance plank, which was attempting to close with Entrapta perilously on the edge. The four friends panicked, all of them running their hands on the walls to find the emergency stop before Entrapta became a permanent smear on Darla’s entrance hatch. Adora eventually found it and punched it hard and they all breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the hatch stopped, giving Entrapta time to scramble into the ship.

“Thank you for that!” Entrapta said, her voice a little too cheerful for someone who had been seconds away from being crushed by a spacecraft. “I want to go over the communications array before you guys departed.” Entrapta patted excitedly at her face with her hands, her eyes wide with excitement. “Ooooh, you guys are so lucky!! To be in the deep void of space again—are you guys sure I can’t come with?”

All of the Best Friend Squad looked at her with slight confusion and slight exasperation, all baffled that she was not more distressed about having almost died. 

Bow was the first to speak up. “No one besides you and Hordak have a clear understanding of the communications network.” Bow took a step forward and clasped Entrapta’s shoulder with his hand. “Sorry, Entrapta, but we need you here.”

Entrapta let out a disappointed sigh but nodded in understanding. “Okay.” Her disappointment soon faded as she bolted into the interior of the ship, waving over her shoulder for them all to follow her. “Come on, so much to talk about, so little time!”

They all looked at Bow as if he had some magical understanding of what had Entrapta so pumped. He simply shrugged and shook his head and quickly followed her inside, afraid Entrapta was gonna go rooting around in Darla’s guts before their departure. The last thing they needed was Darla stalling out in space because Entrapta wanted to try out an experimental ship modification. 

They all followed Entrapta inside the ship and were confused to not see her in the navigation bay. Instead, they all saw Melog curled up in the captain’s chair. Catra rolled her eyes and walked over to her spirit cat, scratching behind Melog’s ears, inciting a soft  _ mmrreow _ in Melog’s throat.

Adora approached them both and gave Melog a soft pat on the head, earning content looks from both Catra and Melog. Bow and Glimmer went to search the ship for Entrapta and after five minutes of struggling to drag Entrapta away from the ship’s engine room, Bow and Glimmer returned with her in tow, exasperation clear in their eyes. 

Adora and Catra glanced over at the three of them and couldn’t help but giggle. Adora decided to make things easier for Bow and Glimmer and decided to get Entrapta back on topic. “So, about the communications network…?”

Entrapta hopped out of Glimmer and Bow’s arms so fast that it threw the pair of balance, causing them to collapse onto the cold sleek floor of the ship. They both groaned tiredly into the floor, much to Catra’s amusement. 

Entrapta excitedly entered some commands into Darla’s user interface and it pulled up a hologram of a large spire looking object. “Ah, yes, the communications network! Hordak and I reverse engineered a crashed Horde satellite to run on a faster than light frequency to establish communication capabilities on and off of Etheria. Before it can work though, we need you to launch the satellite into Etheria’s orbit so the frequency can connect and establish—“ 

Catra could see the utter confusion on her friends’ faces and decide to make things easier for all of them. “Entrapta—“

“—it’ll use electromagnetic waves to—“

“Entrapta,” Catra said firmly, grabbing Entrapta by her shoulders tightly.

“And—oh, yes Catra?”

“Explain in simple terms please.”

Entrapta let out an understanding “ooooh” and then gave Catra a thumbs up. She pointed at the hologram and then began to speak as if she were a school teacher trying to teach a particularly dense group of students. “You launch spire looking thingy into space and we can talk to you and you guys can talk to us.”

Catra patted Entrapta on the shoulder and said ‘thank you’ before returning to Adora’s side at the captain’s chair. 

Adora crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised. “How likely is it to work?”

Entrapta grabbed her data pad out of her overalls with her hair and placed it in her hands, touching the screen with a finger to bring up a series of schematics and number charts. She squinted at the information for a bit before shoving the tablet back in her overalls. “By my estimated projections, the satellite has a 70% chance of establishing a communications array between Darla and Etheria.”

“Only 70%?” Glimmer said, her tone slightly nervous. “Does that mean there’s a chance we won’t be able to contact Etheria at all?”

Entrapta pouted, hands on hips. “Hey, 70% is great considering that this satellite was essentially high tech garbage a few days ago! Hordak and I have done the math; it’ll probably work. But there is always a chance with experimental technology like this that it could fail to succeed. The chance is slim though!”

Glimmer wasn’t exactly inspired to confidence by Entrapta’s speech but Catra knew Entrapta’s level of skill from her days as the Horde’s tech master. If she said it would probably work then it would. 

“No point in worrying about what ifs,” Catra said. “Entrapta is pretty confident we’ll have no trouble so let’s trust her on it, ok?”

Bow and Glimmer looked at Catra as if she had sprouted a second tail.

“Who are you,  _ me _ ?” Bow asked, bewildered. “Aren’t you usually the cautious, evaluate everything gal, not the  _ let’s trust in friends  _ gal?”

Catra rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen what Entrapta can do.” She gave Entrapta a look of total confidence. “I believe in her.”

Catra was suddenly beset upon by Adora, Glimmer, and Bow, who were all crooning about how proud they were of Catra for showing trust in others and she mewled irritably as they held her in a suffocating group hug. She looked over at Melog, hoping she would move to disperse them, but instead put her paws on Catra’s chest and began licking her face in a show of affection.

Entrapta giggled and then threw herself into the group hug, hugging them all tight with her pigtails. Catra eventually relaxed into the hug, rolling her eyes, saying they were all silly. It soon became a farewell hug and they all turned to hug Entrapta, thanking her profusely for helping them with the ship. After a few more hugs and some teary eyes from both the Best Friend Squad and Entrapta, Entrapta departed from the ship, wishing them luck, waving at them until the entrance hatch sealed shut.

Adora stepped towards Darla’s navigations array, looking over her shoulder with a big smile on her face. “You guys ready?”

They all nodded, determination in their eyes.

“Alright!” Adora shouted, punching coordinates into the navigation terminal. “Let’s do this!”

—

A few hours had passed, and the Best Friend Squad were safely leaving the atmosphere of Etheria, still close enough to be in the planet’s orbit. Bow was bent over the navigation terminal, making sure they were on the trajectory Entrapta had mapped for them to launch the satellite. Glimmer was off in the corner of the cockpit, practicing combat with her staff, knowing that if they were going to planets with little to no magic, she’d have to manage to defend herself some other way. Adora and Catra, on the other hand, were curled up sleepily on the makeshift couch their friends back home had made as a going away present. It was misshapen and a bit small but still managed to be comfortable. They had both drifted off, arms around one another, Catra’s face nuzzled into Adora’s chest, with Melog sleeping on their legs.

Bow looked over at the couple with a happy smile, content to see Adora look completely at peace and care free for the first time since he and Glimmer had met her. A part of him was happy for Catra, too. He was glad that she had joined them, because, under all the bravado and the prickly veneer, she had a lot of heart and cared deeply for the people she loved. Not to mention she was extremely clever, which Bow couldn’t help but admire. 

He was broken out of his thoughts by a loud beep from the navigation terminal, so blaringly loud that it startled Adora and Catra into consciousness. 

“Huh? Wha? Danger?” Adora asked, eyes bleary. Catra was looking around in confusion, the fur on her neck and tail raised. Melog woke up and stalked around in a protective circle, her mane bright red and puffed out. 

Glimmer noticed Adora and Catra’s distress and looked over at them in concern. “You guys ok?”

“Yeah, just that sound…” Adora mumbled.

“Alarm for morning drills,” Catra finished tensely. “That’s what it sounded like. Late and they cut your afternoon rations, possible chance of extra intense combat simulations.” 

Adora nodded solemnly and ran her hand gently down Catra’s back, a touch meant to reassure her that they were ok. “It’s over. No more Horde.”

Catra nodded and held Adora close to her until she felt the blonde relax against her. They both took a deep breathe and slowly stood up, arms around each other’s waists in a show of comfort. Melog’s mane slowly shrunk back to its normal size, returning to its calming blue color. The spirit cat still circled Catra and Adora protectively, feeling that the two were still on edge.

Glimmer and Bow gave them both sympathetic looks, deciding not to press the subject as it clearly made the couple uncomfortable. Bow pointed to the hologram in front of him, pinching his fingers to enhance the image. “Entrapta said we should launch the satellite here.” He looked over at Adora and Catra with a sheepish look on his face. “If you guys want to go back to sleep, you can. Just got to press a button and we can continue on our trip.” 

Adora and Catra walked over to the terminal, with Glimmer close behind them. “Might as well see it launch.”

Bow nodded and entered a few commands into the terminal before pressing a red button on the dash. He grinned, ready to celebrate the successful launch of the satellite. That is, until there was loud  _ ka-thunk _ that shook the ship, and bold red letters screaming ERROR appeared on the hologram. Bow panickedly started pressing buttons, muttering “no no no” under his breath. Glimmer ran up to him, wrapping her arms around one of his, gently pulling him away from the terminal. Glimmer cupped his face, caressing his cheeks and calmly asked him what was wrong.

Bow sighed, relaxing into Glimmer’s touch. He grabbed her hands and clasped them in hers. He looked at all of them direly. “The satellite is stuck. It won’t launch unless we push it out of the ship.”

“That doesn’t seem so bad,” Adora said. 

Bow shook his head. “Whoever goes out there would have to be in a spacesuit and attached to a tether while pushing it out. While we’re still moving. One false step, or some random space debris and the tether could snap and you’ll go flying into open space.”

Adora’s face fell. “Ok, that sounds kind of bad.” After a moment of consideration, Adora’s face perked up. “I’ll do it.”

Bow gave her a panicked look. “By yourself? Adora, one person can’t—“

“Bow, I can turn into a seven foot tall lady with big muscles, I think I can push the satellite out by myself,” Adora said, a light tone in her voice. “I’ll take care of it and we can continue on our intended—“

Catra grabbed Adora by the wrist, stopping her before she could launch herself into the empty void of space by herself. “I’ll go with her.”

Adora’s face suddenly paled with worry. “Catra, I can—“

Catra shook her head. “You don’t need to do it alone. Two people will guarantee we get the satellite out and that no one goes flying off into space.”

Adora looked at Bow, hoping he would back her up so Catra would stay safe inside the ship. “Bow?”

Bow crossed his arms, his expression suddenly calmer. “It would be safer to have two people go out than one.”

Adora sighed, slipping her hand in Catra’s, squeezing it tight. “Just be careful while we’re out there, ok?”

Catra gave her a soft smile. “Only if you do the same.”

Adora smiled back. “I can do that.”

They both made their way to the launching bay. They grabbed their spacesuits and changed into them, unembarrassed to get undressed and dressed in front of one another. They had been doing so since they were kids. They both checked each other's suits, making sure they were sealed tight so oxygen would stay in. Once they were both satisfied with their inspections, they slid on their helmets and attached their tethers. They both got into position and pushed with all their might against the satellite, sliding it towards the airlock. It was difficult work but they eventually got it to the airlock doors. Catra punched the button to open the doors and suddenly the vast void of space was before them. 

Any bravado they’d had going into this sunk into the pit of their stomach. Space looked much less intimidating through Darla’s view port. It seemed like looking at the night sky on a calm evening. Here? It was a dark, vast plane with no end, the stars balls of fire instead of pinpricks of light. They could see Etheria from where they stood and suddenly their home planet seemed much smaller than they had ever imagined it.

Catra looked over at Adora, her face serious. “Let’s hurry and get this over with.”

Adora nodded, suddenly wanting very much to be back in ship with her girlfriend safely in her arms. They stepped forward and did one last big shove, pushing the satellite out into space. 

The earpieces Adora and Catra has shoved in their ears before going out suddenly chirped in their ears, Bow’s distressed voice clearly broadcasted. “We have a problem.”

Catra growled irritability. “What is it now?”

“The satellite isn’t broadcasting. We need to activate it manually.”

If Catra had been able to claw at her face in that moment she would have. “You couldn’t have realized that  _ before _ we pushed it off the ship?!”

“I was panicking!!” Bow shouted, his voice cracking.

“Enough!” Adora yelled firmly. “Let’s just fix the satellite. Bow, what do we need to do?”

There was some hurried fumbling on the other line before Bow answered. “According to the notes Entrapta gave me, it’s a simple start up sequence. You have to open a panel on the side and enter a code...7801?”

“Alright, Catra and I will take care of it. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Bow gulped worriedly. “Be careful, you two.”

Catra and Adora linked hands and slowly walked towards the edge of the airlock, nothing but dark space before them. Adora interlock their finger, her grip tight. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

They gently kicked themselves away from the ship, the tethers on their back tightening the farther they floated away from the ship. After what felt like eons, they reached the satellite. The both ran their free hands across the chassis, searching for a panel to pry up. Catra was the one who found it, and she dug her fingers under the slight indent near the panel and pulled up, revealing a number pad and a small display. Catra quickly entered the start up code then carefully shut the panel. Adora smiled and nuzzled her helmet against Catra’s, proud of her partner. Catra blushed at the affection and nuzzled back, a content smile on her face. Leave it to Adora to make her feel all warm and happy while they were perilously floating in dark space.

The moment was short lived as the satellite started to emit an eerie whine and sickly green glow. Adora and Catra looked panickedly at it and Adora shouted frantically into her ear piece. “Bow! Bow, what’s happening?!”

“What? What’s going on?” Bow asked worriedly. 

Before Adora could respond, the satellite droned on in the voice of a dead man, Horde Prime. “ _ Unauthorized access detected. Emergency self destruct sequence imminent _ .”

“Bow, fix this now!” Catra cried out, her voice cracking in distress. 

“Ok! Ok!” The sound of Bow hurriedly tapping on his data pad could be heard over their earpieces, mixing in a cacophonous melody with the whine of the satellite. “The code was wrong! It was a prototype code!”

“Just tell us the code before we’re space debris, arrow boy!” Catra screamed as she wrapped herself protectively around Adora.

“3645! It’s 3645!”

Adora quickly pried open the panel and punched the code in. She held Catra close and she kicked the side of the satellite, launching them back over to the airlock, Adora’s back skidding against the floor as they tumbled in. They watched the satellite in horror, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

It never came. The sickly green lights faded and there was a chime as the startup sequence began. Horde Prime’s eerily emotionless voice piped up. “ _ User ID recognized. Self destruct sequence ceased. Start up sequence initiated _ .”

There was a loud sigh of relief from everyone, exhaustion creeping into everyone's bones after such a terrifying experience. Catra and Adora quickly hit the button to shut the airlock, and they both held each other like they were afraid the other would disappear from their arms if they let go.

Adora tore off her and Catra’s helmets, giving her girlfriend a desperate, emotional kiss on the lips. Catra gripped Adora’s collar, fisting her hands into it as she pulled Adora closer, kissing her so hard that both their lips ached when they pulled away. Adora buried her face in Catra’s shoulder, voice shaky as she spoke. “We’re ok. We're ok.”

Catra nuzzled her face against Adora’s ear, voice strained from screaming. “I was so scared I was going to lose you—“

“I’m right here,” Adora whispered, moving so she could rest her forehead against Catra’s. “Not going anywhere.”

Glimmer and Bow burst into the launching bay, along with a terrified looking Melog. Glimmer ran over to Catra and Adora, throwing her arms around them both, face stained with tears. “We were so scared for you guys!” Glimmer blubbered. She leaned back and kissed both Adora and Catra on the cheeks before holding them tighter against her. “So glad you two are ok.”

Bow joined in the hug, tears dripping down his cheeks. Melog let out a soft  _ meow _ and purred as she rubbed against the group. The four of them emotionally held each other, tears falling. They had all been through so much, to lose each other now...the thought terrified all of them. 

Eventually they all untangled from each other, slowly making their way back to the cockpit. Bow cautiously eyed the hologram of the satellite before calling out for Darla. 

“Darla, what is the status of communications between you and Etheria?”

“Status: Contact established with Etherian Communications Hub. Would you like me to patch you through?”

Bow shook his head and waved tiredly at Darla. “Later, please.”

The four of them crashed tiredly onto the couch, a sudden wave of sleepiness washing over all of them. Glimmer threw her head back, eyes looking blankly up at the ceiling. “I hate to bring this up now, but do we even know where our first stop is?”

Adora looked over at Glimmer, her gaze one of pure exhaustion. “Well, according to our star charts—“

Adora was cut off by Melog aggressively chirping at Catra, the spirit cat jumping on top of her and pawing at her chest. Catra whispered hushed reassurances at Melog, running a hand through the cat’s mane.

Adora looked over at the two of them with concern. “Is everything ok with Melog?”

Catra nodded, her expression serious. “Melog says that she wants us to return to Krysis. Says that we can fix things there.”

Glimmer raised an eyebrow. “How? Isn’t everyone—“ Glimmer stopped, realizing her next words would seem rather cruel. “Isn’t the planet already dead?”

Catra shook her head. “Melog says it’ll be easier to explain once we get there.” Catra looked over at Adora desperately. “I know we were planning to head somewhere closer but this is really important to Melog. We owe her.” Catra looked Melog in the eyes, and the two exchanged an intense look. “ _ I  _ owe her.”

Adora put a hand on Catra’s arm, an understanding smile. “Of course we’ll help. Whatever Melog needs. Right, guys?”

Glimmer and Bow looked less sure, but they could tell that this was important to their friends. They nodded, putting their hands on Catra’s arm too. “Of course.”

“It’s settled then! Next stop: Krysis!”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Apologies if you there are any errors in formatting or grammar my technology fought me the whole way through this chapter


End file.
